Then You Came Along
by regularbambino
Summary: (My first fan fiction) Percy Jackson has a problem. His supposedly perfect relationship with Annabeth comes to a screeching halt with the introduction of a mysterious new guy who seems to be going after Percy's girl. That might even be the least of his worries. There is rumors of ancient forces stirring and running amok in the mortal world. And it all seems to be tied together.


Disclaimer: I don't own anything about PJO, HOO or TOA. My first fan fiction. Takes place two weeks after BOO (mid August)

* * *

 **PERCY**

 **PEACE**.

It was a state of mind that Percy never thought he'd be able to associate his life with in all his years of being a demigod. Ever since his troubling days at Yancy, Percy's life seemed to have crept into a downward spiral that only seemed to get deeper.  
With all the demigod fuss continually robbing him of his opportunity to live a normal life, peace was definitely not something Percy thought much about. It seemed like a never ending train ride, riddled with death, gods and quests, until it abruptly  
came to a stop with the second Gigantomachy coming to an end. Percy finally had the chance to live what most demigods could only dream of: a normal life. No more monsters or apocalyptic missions. Or flying chicken ladies. Not even 30 ft tall giant  
snake-men. Just Annabeth, him and a nerve-racking mountain of textbooks.

What was supposed to be a Pre-Calculus & Physics study extravaganza had turned into one of Percy's notorious snoozefests. His ADHD and dyslexia made it hard enough to study, coupled with his recently discovered laziness (or at least to him it was  
recently discovered), it was nearly impossible to concentrate. Annabeth being there didn't help much either. Percy either found himself staring intensively at her or his face buried in a Physics book, half asleep.

This time he must've been staring because Annabeth didn't seem to notice him till she finally looked up from her _Lessons of Pre-Calculus_ book (something she rarely did).

"Percy?" Annabeth asked with a hint of worry in her voice. "Percy? You're doing it again."

Annabeth's voice jolted Percy back into reality. He wanted to reply with, "Doing what?" but it came out as something along the lines of "Uhmm ugh."

He could see Annabeth's lips purse together and her eyebrows plunge into that of a frown. Her eyes widened and glared on Percy. It was a face he'd seen Annabeth make a number of times before. _Anger._

Percy had his mental survival guide of dating Annabeth (not an easy task) nearly down by heart and he automatically knew he had crossed one of her big 'no-nos'. His mind frantically went to panic mode searching for a solution but Annabeth gave him no  
chance of it.

"Seaweed Brain, I didn't drag you to the library at 9 o clock in the morning for you to be making googly eyes at me!"

He couldn't help himself. Percy always would find himself getting lost in her adoring figure. Her curly, blonde hair, draped over her shoulder as if she was a princess. Her stormy, intelligent eyes that seemed to inspect any sight they laid upon. Her  
button nose or her gleaming complexion. And just like that, he was staring again.

Annabeth didn't take his inattention too well. She closed the textbook in her hands with a thundering _SMACK_ and threw it at Percy. Being captivated in her look, Percy was momentarily shocked when Annabeth hurled the book. He didn't have much time  
to register what was going on, and didn't notice the book till it had smacked square in the face.

"Earth to Percy. Hello? Is anybody there?" Annabeth asked, waving her hands back in forth, vying for Percy's attention.

"I read you loud and clear, Captain Chase." Percy mumbled.

Annabeth slumped her shoulders and heaved out a sigh, "You do realize that you're supposed to be studying, right?"

Percy tried to speak but Annabeth quickly continued, "I mean, the only reason we're here is so we can get you caught up on your junior year work and you don't seem to give a damn..."

Once again, Percy tried to interrupt but Annabeth was on a roll, "And quite frankly if you have any aspiration of going to college in New Rome with me the very least you could do is learn the basic laws of Physics. It's not like I have to be here anyways,"  
She bragged, while examining her watch. "I've got a well paying job as an architect on Mount Olympus.."

Percy couldn't let this go on anymore. There were times were Annabeth got so full of herself, she'd lose her touch of reality and rattle off every little thing roaming in her mind. He'd once claimed it to be a trait of Athena's children during a target  
practice session with Annabeth at CHB, which ended up with an arrow in his _podex_.

What Percy did next surprised himself even more than it did Annabeth.

He leapt across the table they we sitting at, scattering the flash cards Annabeth had made and causing the towers of books placed around to disperse all over the place. He landed on the table with a loud _thud_ , shaking the foundations and prompting  
Annabeth's mouth to be closed shut. Apparently, it was causing quite the commotion because Percy could hear the mumbling sounds of people around him getting louder and louder. He payed no attention to it and continued to swim through the table, knocking  
down items left and right, until he found himself face to face with his girlfriend. Before Annabeth could even react, Percy threw his arms around her and leaned into a kiss.

Percy had kissed Annabeth plenty of times before, but each time it seemed like a whole new adventure. Percy's lips were firm against hers, but the kiss was gentle and soft. His body began to warm up with a pleasuring feeling of relief as he pulled her  
in towards him, deepening the kiss. Involuntarily, Percy's hands made their way to the back of Annabeth's head, his fingers tangling in her luscious, golden hair. He could feel a smile creeping on Annabeth's face, revealing her satisfaction. Their  
lips were locked in a perfect sync, eyes closed, only focusing on each other. The euphoric flame building up in Percy seemed to be scorching hot. He felt like it could go on forever until they were interrupted by a booming _AHEM_.

Percy reluctantly broke apart to find the origin of the sound. As he looked around, he could feel his face turn a sweltering red. Seemingly, while he was sucking face with Annabeth, the whole library had encircled them. He could see people from the crowd  
snickering and laughing, definitely at him. Then he brought his focus towards Annabeth, who's face had became a dangerous shade of pink. She pushed Percy's hands away, turned and rose to face a lady in her opposite direction.

"What do we we have going on here?", The lady inquired, putting her hands on Annabeth's shoulders. She then looked down at Percy and her face turned of that of disgust.

"What are you doing on my table?"

Percy had been so momentarily lost, he'd forgotten he was lying smack in the middle of the table. "Sorry Ma'm", he squeaked before scrambling off. More snickering. More laughing.

After taking a quick look at the lady, Percy could easily identify her as Mrs. Gonzales, the librarian. He recognized her sunken eyes and grimacing expression; definitely someone who had yelled at him in the past before.

Mrs. Gonzales shifted her attention from Percy and back to Annabeth. Apparently, Annabeth was a regular at the New York Public Library (No surprise), because Mrs. Gonzales recognized her on the spot.

"Annabeth Chase!" The librarian exclaimed. "You of all people, sucking face in the library?"

Annabeth's face was now a ghoulish pale. The girl of so many words had been reduced to a dumbfounded state. Percy felt bad for dragging her into all of this. Annabeth wasn't the one to go out and get herself in trouble, especially at the expense of others.

Mrs. Gonzales glared back at me, still bearing her grimace. "I'd expect something like this from the boy, but from a smart girl like you? What do you have to say for yourself?"

Instead of blasting out a 1000 word apology and begging for forgiveness like Percy expected, Annabeth merely snapped her fingers. Although it wasn't like a normal snap. It gave off an ear piercing sound that seemed to ripple through the whole library.  
A gust of wind also ensured.

"Mrs. Gonzales, there is no problem here." Annabeth said, with striking confidence. "You were just wandering around. And so were the people around us. Nothing was going on here."

Percy expected Mrs. Gonzales to go all psycho on Annabeth till he realized what she was doing. She was manipulating the Mist. It brought Percy back to the time Thalia had done it to get them past Ms. Gottschalk (he still couldn't believe the name) and  
Dr. Thorn at Westover Hall. Then he remembered how he had tried to do it against Rachael at the Hoover Dam and failed miserably. It being Annabeth, Percy didn't have too worry much. He knew she knew what she was doing.

Mrs. Gonzales gave Annabeth an uneasy look, as if she was debating in her mind if she was right or not. He could see similar faces on the people around them, suddenly contemplating whether to leave the place or to keep laughing at Annabeth's foolishness.  
Then, in perfect synchronization, everyone closed their eyes.

"Annabeth? What's going-"

"Shhhhh!" Annabeth interrupted. "You'll break the trance."

The people began to blink ferociously; their faces seeming to fall under the spell of the Mist. Mrs. Gonzales was the first to recover.

"Yes, of course," she said. "I was just wandering around. And so were they..." Her voice trailed off to an utter silence. Then all at once, the crowd began to disperse to different parts of the library, leaving just Percy and Annabeth.

A smile couldn't help but tip toe onto Percy's face. "Dude, that was awesome," He spoke, gradually moving towards his girlfriend, going in for a hug. "When'd you learn how to control the Mist?"

Annabeth shoved him away. "What was that for?" She said, giving him a distasteful look.

A part of Percy was shocked at her actions. He had never seen Annabeth push him away from her. He considered himself to be completely irresistible to Annabeth. _There is something wrong_ he thought _Something seriously wrong._

"Annabeth? What's wrong?" Percy asked, taking a seat on the opposite side of the table.

"It's just these-" Her voice came to an unexpected stop. She put her hands to her head as if she was seriously irritated. Percy could see the color drain from her face, giving her that ghoulish look. Now he was seriously worried.

"Annabeth! Annabeth? Please, what's wrong?" Percy said, his voice lingering with utter concern. He sped over to her and took her in his arms. As soon as he touched her, he could see the color return back to her face. In a matter of seconds she looked  
like nothing had happened.

"Annabeth," Percy asked, for what seemed to be the millionth time. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing...nothing at all."

Percy wasn't convinced a single bit. He knew that Annabeth sometimes hid things, but ever since they started going out she was an open book. She never kept anything away from him. _Whatever it was that she is hiding must be really bad_ Percy thought.

Annabeth gave him a smile, which Percy knew was a signal for _change the conversion_. "What was that for?" She asked.

"What?"

"The kiss, Seaweed Brain."

"Oh," Percy's mind went blank. He hadn't really known why he'd leapt over the table and kissed her; he just had a sudden impulse to do so.

"I was just thinking about you..." Percy stammered

Annabeth slumped her shoulders, showing her displeasure. She took a seat adjacent to Percy and sighed, her head resting on her hands. "Uh-huh"

"...and me," Percy continued, drifting away in his thoughts. "A new life together. A peaceful life. No more demigod drama. New Rome. Our anniversary in 4 days..."

At the last set of words Percy could see Annabeth's expression tense. She suddenly looked interested, as if Percy had said something that triggered something in her.

" _Our Anniversary_..." She piped, covering her hands over her mouth. A sudden realization slapped Percy in the face.

"You didn't forget, Wise Girl?"

If there was one thing he knew Annabeth absolutely hated was knowing something she didn't. She liked to be the 'teacher' in the relationship, constantly lecturing and reminding Percy. Now the tables had turned.

"It's not like it's my birthday either," Percy added. At this point he was just toying with her, hoping to cheer up her mood.

Annabeth gave Percy one of her famous death stares. All he could do was chuckle.

"I've been pretty busy, for like what? The last year or so? Hera didn't just steal your life Percy, she stole mine as well. Cut me some slack."

Percy didn't feel all too good now. She was completely right. When he got abducted by Hera, it ripped the single most important thing out of Annabeth's life: him. She'd spent months trying to find him. She'd sacrificed her time, her normal life. And when  
things seemed to be looking promising, they fell into the Tartarus. Even with that, they had caused Gaea to rise with a bloody nose and a leg cut. He hasn't realized how exhausting that could be for her.

Before Percy could even open his mouth to apologize, he was interrupted by a golden shimmer of light. A screen of mist materialized in the middle of table on a pile of books. Through the mist, Percy could see a woman who looked she was in her 50s. She  
had olive skin and long flowing black hair that resembled that of a mermaid. She was wearing a pinstripe pant suit that was designed with the colors of the rainbow. The weird part about her was her accessories. She had a tie dye headband and wore  
rimless glasses. She wore tons of necklaces and rings that gave her a creepy fortune teller look. Even with all that, she still had friendly expression on her face that said trust me, I come in peace. Percy definitely recognized the lady, but couldn't  
quite match her picture to a name.

The lady sat at a cashier's counter that was probably the messiest thing Percy had ever seen. All the merchandise was scattered all over the place. The cashier was half open and filled with a plethora amount of currencies ranging from golden drachmas  
to Chinese yuans. The checkout station was filled with clusters of papers, files and exotic fruits.

The lady managed a smile. "Hello, Percy."

Percy was too distracted to answer her, luckily Annabeth had his back. "Umm..hello?"

The lady's happy expression turned to a frown when she noticed Annabeth, like she hadn't expected her to be there. Though it was only momentarily, as she quickly put on a blinding smile. "Oh, you must be the girl...Annabell, is it?"

"Annabeth."

"That's it," the lady replied. "Let's skip the small talk, shall we? I am Iris, goddess of rainbows and the messenger of the gods."

That's when things started to click in Percy's brain. He faintly remembered meeting the rainbow goddess and but couldn't recall much how it went except for a small bits and pieces. He definitely remembered her brown eyes, the hospitality she'd shown to  
him and the macrobiotic beef jerky.

"Hey, I remember you-," Percy said warily, glancing at Iris then stoping himself. He noticed the tons of wrinkles on her face, something he hadn't in the past. He saw the darks circles around her eyes and bags underneath. Despite all the glamour she was  
wearing, she looked terrible.

"What happen to you?" Percy asked.

Annabeth looked like she was going to slap Percy upside the head for being _rude_ but Iris waved her hand. "You must be talking about my look," she assumed. "Over the last couple of weeks I've been quite the busy lady."

She held out her hand and swiped in the air 180 degrees. A miniature rainbow appeared where she swiped. Iris spoke something to the rainbow Percy couldn't hear, then the image shimmered and eventually vanished leaving a tiki mug in mid air.

"You must forgive me, godlings," she said, taking a sip of her mug between every couple of words. "Ever since the Giant War started, communication has faltered. I've been having to deliver Iris messages personally like the ancient days. It's such a burden."

Annabeth, who at this point seemed to have no interest in the conversation whatsoever, gave Iris a confused look. "What do you mean 'communication has faltered'?"

"There is something disrupting the flow of it all. Iris messages are being blocked. Prophecies are hidden. E-mails aren't getting through. That's just the least of it."

"So what you're saying is...gods can get old?" Percy questioned.

Iris looked offended. "I am not old _Perseus Jackson_. I am simply going through significant life problems that are taking a serious toll on my physical form..." She went on an absolute rant, going off on the Olympians for her 'minor goddess' status,  
how she had turned her R.O.L.F. Co-op into a fully fledged celestial post-office and much more stuff that Percy didn't care about.

He wanted to interrupt, and ask her why she had even sent the Iris Message in the first place, but he thought it would anger her. Coming from a guy who had angered many gods and goddesses in the past, he knew not to tempt with an immortal's anger. Annabeth,  
on the other hand, had no problem interrupting the rainbow goddess.

"Is this why you called us here?" Annabeth retorted, obviously looking unpleased. "To bring attention to your lackluster eyes and oh so terrible _immortal_ life. Give me a break."

Percy thought Iris was going to blow. Yet she just stopped talking. She peered fiercely into Annabeth causing Percy to get uneasy. He wasn't sure if she was contemplating to turn Annabeth into a flower or fruit. Instead, she said simply said, "Oh."

"Oh..?" Annabeth repeated.

Iris finished the rest of her beverage in one big gulp and it vanished in a colorful shimmer of light. She took some golden drachmas and British pounds out of the cash register and laid them out on the already crowded counter. Iris made a whistling noice  
and out of no where a young girl, dressed in R.O.F.L. employee wear, took the drachmas and pounds and ran off. Iris then focused her attention to Percy and a furious Annabeth.

"Sorry for the interruption. Let's get to business. I received a message from an anonymous source around an hour ago. I was told to specifically warn Percy of some type of monster in New York. I didn't think _the girl_ would be with you. Nevertheless,  
you should probably get going if you are to defeat this monster."

Percy's mind was filling with displeasure. The last thing he wanted to do 9:30 in the morning was to kill monsters, but it didn't seem like he'd have any way around it. Plus, he was still concerned with Annabeth and why she was acting so weird.

Annabeth wasn't taking it so well which did not surprise Percy in the least.

"Oh no no no no NO," She snapped, making a scowl at Iris. "I am not doing _this_ again. Stopping Gaea was the last straw. The gods promised me a normal life after it was all over and they're not going to screw me over again."

Iris already was already involved in a phone call with an iPhone in one hand while typing with a 20th century typewriter with the other. Percy wondered where they had magically appeared from. Iris briefly put her phone down and looked at both him and  
Annabeth. Go now. I'm busy. Be wary of those you meet. Message ended."

And just like that the mist faded and Percy remembered they were still in the Library. He grabbed his backpack and padded his pockets for Riptide, knowing he would need it again. He got up and hurried to the entrance, hoping that this little endeavor  
would not squander his day. He looked back when he noticed Annabeth wasn't following him. She was still sitting at the table, in some deep thought.

After walking back to her, he plead, "C'mon Owl Girl, we don't have all day."

Annabeth looked at Percy like he was crazy. "So that's it, huh? You're just going to go with? Fight more monsters, like we haven't been through enough near-death experiences."

"Annabeth please," Percy begged, clasping his hands together. "It'll just be one monster, that's not too much of a problem. We'll be back here in no time, and maybe I might actually study." Percy held out his hand for her to take.

She hesitated for a couple of seconds then took his hand. She kissed him on his cheek then packed up her things. Despite being the complete neat freak Annabeth was, she left the table in a complete mess.

On the way out Percy could hear the blaring sounds of police and ambulance sirens. Through the noise, he could also hear the muffled sounds of people screaming.

"This better be quick." Percy mumbled. The peaceful state of mind he'd envisioned about 30 minutes ago was completely gone. He was only hoping that things would go swiftly and he could still have his day with Annabeth.

"What do you think Iris meant by 'be wary of those you meet'?" Annabeth asked out of nowhere. It brought Percy back to those problems Annabeth was hiding from him. Somehow he knew that the conversion with Iris had worsened her fears.

"I don't know," Percy answered with total honesty. "Maybe the Fates will go easy on us this time."

"Doubt it."

Percy knew she was right but before he could reply, Annabeth kissed him on the cheek again. Inside his body, Percy's endorphins went wild. He could feel his face reddening.

"Seaweed Brain? Are you coming?"

The voice of Annabeth dragged Percy back to reality. He had been dangerously stationary ever since the kiss. Typical. He nodded his head yes and caught up to her.

Then they quickly hurried out the door and followed the deafening noise of the sirens, hopefully leading them to their monster.

* * *

( **A/N:** I think this was a pretty length chapter, I don't know if I should make them this long in the future. Sorry that there wasn't much going on, I needed to set the stage. So, tell me what you think :) Reviews aren't necessary but are  
very appreciated.)


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